The Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) located in the Port of New York/New Jersey, which handles more than 600,000 containers annually, has completed the phase two deployment of a wireless video surveillance by Firetide Inc., a provider of wireless infrastructure mesh networks.

The wireless network enables security and safety officers to view live indoor and outdoor video feeds of workers unloading cargo from incoming ships and moving containers throughout the 180-acre port facility and its operations, according to Firetide. The video cameras monitor safety violations, provide accident verification and monitor vehicle and foot access to and from the facility.

The first phase of the Firetide wireless infrastructure mesh video network was deployed in 2008 and the now completed second phase helps protect PNCT’s terminal operations and facilities, and provides a secure environment for more than 500 daily dock workers, ship crews, passengers and visitors that pass through the terminal each year, Firetide says.

The network includes 54 Firetide HotPort 7020 wireless mesh nodes and 70 Bosch VG4 500i series point-tilt-zoom (PTZ) Internet protocol (IP) surveillance cameras located at multiple locations throughout the facility, the company says. The equipment enables safety and security staff to centrally capture and continuously monitor live video feeds at a command center, Firetide says. Depending on the activity video feeds are stored for approximately 20 days and can be used as effective evidence in court, reducing time and expense for prosecuting cases, the firm says.

“Securing the world’s ports, railways and other critical infrastructures has been a top priority for the Department of Homeland Security and other security agencies across the globe, making the installation of reliable high-performance video networks a necessity,” said Bo Larsson, Firetides’ chief executive officer. “This deployment for PNCT demonstrates the superior technology and reliability of our wireless infrastructure mesh networks, especially in rugged and remote areas where conventional wired networks are too cost prohibitive to install,” he says.

The platform allows live video from virtually any source to be sent instantly to any user on the network, and also feeds video and critical data from the officers on the frontlines to a central command console.